In a surprise reversal of the Victorian Building Regulations 2017 Draft the reforms to help correct the chronic waterproofing failures in buildings have been scrapped. The rationale for the reversal was feedback from the Building Surveyors fearing legal liability. Thus we go back to the beginning with the Builder (being the head Building Practitioner) required [...]
Our AIW President, Paul Evans, is giving a talk at this years "International conference focusing on technical and market developments for waterproofing membranes in construction and civil engineering applications" held between 14-16th November in Cologne, Germany. It is the 11th annual international conference on Waterproof Membranes and will involve a cocktail evening to welcome guests [...]
The Building Act 1993 remain, however current the Building Regulation 2006 are to be ‘sunset, replaced by the proposed Building Regulations 2017 (legislated around September) Changes in the 2017 Regulations which affect the waterproofing industry relate to “Part 13 – Inspections notices and Orders; Division 1 – Inspections and Directions; 169 Prescribed mandatory notification stages [...]
All too often we find the waterproofing details on project specifications are non-existent or very lacking in proper details. We find the waterproofing lumped in with all sorts of other items such as tiling, painting, plumbing, structural engineering and such. If the details are ambiguous then the old "apples for apples" is extremely difficult to [...]
From 1 September 2016, Victorian builders must give a copy of the new Domestic Building Consumer Guide to their clients, before the client signs a major domestic building contract. The Domestic Building Consumer Guide is the contract information statement required by section 29A of the Domestic Building Contracts Act 1995. Most of the information referred [...]
The third major cause of waterproofing failures is residual moisture in the substrate causing adhesive failure or de-bonding of the membrane. Australian Standards for textile floor coverings (AS/NZS 2455.1), vinyl flooring (AS 1884), tiling (AS 3958.1),painting (AS 2311), plywood (AS/NZS 2269) and timber (AS/NZS 1080.1, AS 2792.2) all specify the substrate dryness or material moisture [...]
The second most common recurring problem, after poor surface preparation, is the failure to prime the respective parts and surfaces before the application of the waterproofing membrane. Failure of the waterproofing membrane bond to substrates is a recurring and consistent problem often associated with poor subsurface drainage and saturation of tiling or topping screeds. Every [...]
The single biggest cause of waterproofing failures is workmanship. Poor workmanship would account for 90% of all failures in waterproofing. The waterproofing membrane is only as good as the surface to which it is applied or installed. Builders have a large responsibility here. Has the surface been constructed with falls for drainage? Is the surface [...]
The property was inspected by Mr P. Evans, Registered Builder, Trade Qualified, Certified Waterproofer, Vice President of The Australian Institute of Waterproofing, Cert 111 OH & S, 40 yrs in Construction. Here are his notes, which are a great read for anyone in the constructon industry: Upon inspecting the balcony without performing invasive testing ( [...]
If you are a member of the Australian Institute of Waterproofing, you are entitled to a number of benefits. These include access to technical information and drawings, trainings and additional exposure through our waterproofing directory. However one of the biggest advantages of being an AIW member is often overlooked. That advantage is the rights to [...]
